In September Active Moms’ Club launched a brand new fitness and nutrition program, 60-Days of YOU! to help moms focus on their own self-care. One of our newest members, Bryony, made an astonishing transformation—to her body and mind. AMC’s program has changed her relationship with food and exercise, “I can’t express enough how this has been life changing for me.”

When Bryony was pregnant with her second child—now just 5 months old, a friend recommended AMC’s Postnatal Recovery Class. “I wanted to meet new moms, and also never really got fit and lost the weight after my first child. I wanted to do better the second time around.”

During the Postnatal Recovery class she worked diligently on re-strengthening her core muscles, and with help of physical therapy, mending her four-finger abdominal wall separation. Since August, she has significantly increased the tone of her abs and her separation is now just half the size. Bryony ‘graduated’ to Fit & Fab Small Group Training and registered for 60-Days of YOU! program that began in September.

AMC’s 60-Days of YOU! program is eight weeks of fitness and nutrition guidance that has helped take the guesswork out of slimming down, getting fit and establishing a healthy relationship with food and exercise. All 25 of our moms who participated in our inaugural program reaped the benefits of having TWO personal coaches to help them create a map to new healthy habits and a strategy to make them stick.

Bryony admits, her activity level prior to kids was “not nearly as much as I should have been. AMC has really transformed my relationship with food and exercise after my son!”

I have created some new healthy habits with AMC’s program. In particular:

I take the time every day now to plan my meals. Even 5 minutes makes such a difference.

I consciously drink water, and feel so great when I do.

As a consultant, I eat out a lot for work, and now have conscious coping strategies for what to do to keep my body on track—like having a protein shake just before a meal, skipping the bread, and ordering lean protein and a salad.”

Bryony’s son was 11-weeks old when she started our nutrition and fitness program and was exclusively breastfeeding. She did see a dip in her milk production when she transitioned to our nutrition program. By adding a few more fats and fenugreek to her diet, they brought her milk supply back up. Yes, moms can safely and effectively lose weight while breastfeeding. She and four other moms have proven it with our program.

Bryony lost 16 POUNDS during the 60-day program!

She lost over TWO inches in her hips AND thighs. Our abdomen and hips in particular, show if an individual is estrogen-dominant. Estrogen dominance leads to weight and/or fat gain, thyroid dysfunction, mood swings, sluggish metabolism, fatigue, trouble sleeping/insomnia and many other symptoms…(sound familiar to you?). As moms, we have raging hormones! We are learning how to rebalance our internal hormonal environment through nutrition—and AMC’s high-intensity strength training workouts are the golden pair to increase growth hormones and burn fat. Bryony’s dedication to her fitness and nutrition continues the shift in her internal environment, and the rewards are priceless!

“I LOVE the group aspect of the Fit & Fab workouts. Working out with other moms and having that community is really special. Cassandra is truly the best. She pushes you beyond what you thought capable but also has a deep respect and understanding for what your body can do. I am developing a love of kettlebells, so cool and empowering to see yourself getting stronger.”

I’m so proud of my newfound body shape and strength. I have been able to prioritize the time for myself to make it happen—and that it is NOT at the expense on my kids, home, husband, work —but rather the healthier me is BETTER at those things. I love the fact that I fit into my clothes so much better. I want to work out more, and run distances I never thought I could.

THANK YOU Cassandra. I can’t express enough how this has been life changing for me. I have tried lots of work outs, and never met anyone as motivating, inspirational and practical about what can be achieved as you.”

Bryony’s journey is impressive. She demonstrates that determination and dedication will pay off.

Here’s a snap-shot of some other impressive results from 60-Days of YOU! Program:

Cumulatively, 25 women lost a total of 130 pounds

Every mom increased her overall strength and endurance, averaging 20% gains in their fitness assessments

Five women lost over 10 pounds each

One mom lost a whopping 21.6 pounds!

What are your personal fitness goals? Rather than wish for change, take action! No exercise experience is required to start our Fit & Fab strength training program. Likewise, AMC can take your fitness to a whole new level. Let the power of small group training move you! Join us for a one-time Fit & Fab test-drive for just $25. Experience a session for yourself and you too will be on your way to feeling more confident about what your post-baby body can do.

BACK BY DEMAND—AMC’s 60-Days of YOU! Program

Do your food choices and workout routine feel like a guessing game? Do you vision a slimmer, healthier, fitter version of yourself in 2018? Are you ready for a life changing experience? —Yes.

60-Days of YOU! begins January 13 and runs through March 13 – eight weeks of fitness and nutrition guidance that will take the guesswork out of slimming down, getting fit and establishing a healthy relationship with food and exercise. Make the commitment to honor yourself in 2018. We promise this program will deliver a life changing experience for you. Establishing new food and exercise habits are an incredible gateway to accessing a sense of freedom in your life. To learn more…

I think we all can agree, every women’s body is unique, especially when it comes to storing and losing body fat. As moms our hormones have been on a wild roller coaster ride of ups and downs—pregnancy, birth, nursing—and then we *think* we have our own body back after our little one is no longer dependent on our breast milk. Wrong. The post-baby body is a whole different vessel. Do you agree? Hips & thighs feel a wee bit wider, maybe you have back fat that you never had before, and your abs…does that skin ever shrink around your mid-section?

Your post-baby body is a result of creating a beautiful baby, or two or three, AND most likely a victim of unbalanced hormones. I’ve come to learn through my own experiences and working with a nutritionist that hormones can wreak havoc on mom’s body—from insomnia, depression, mood swings, irregular periods, to fat storage in undesirable areas.

Enter Active Moms’ Club brand new fitness and nutrition program—60 Days of YOU! In September we launched this unique program that focuses on mom’s self care—connecting mind and body through fitness and nutrition.

Many women, especially moms, tend to be estrogen dominant. Estrogen dominance is when women have too much estrogen compared to progesterone. Not only does estrogen dominance lead to mood swings and irregular periods, it often leads to fat gain due to how it can trigger a cascade of hormonal changes involved in metabolic rate.

Evidence suggests that estrogen dominance, which often coincides with elevated cortisol, can increase appetite and lead to unfavorable changes in the hunger hormones leptin and ghrelin. This, along with a decrease in physical activity, can lead women to experience an excess of calories, which leads to fat gain. (Another great reason to maintain a prenatal exercise routine and return to exercise post-baby!)

On the fitness side of AMC’s 60-Days of YOU! program, our exercise mode of choice is resistance and weight training. Each mom participates in 1-3 Fit & Fab Small Group Training sessions each week. Our Fit & Fab sessions incorporate weights which helps build lean muscle mass, while increasing growth hormone levels that help with fat burning. Cardio alone as an exercise modality will not yield the fat loss that we all desire. Moms need to lift heavy weights to torch body fat. With the support of two coaches we’ve taken the guesswork out of slimming down, getting fit, and establishing a healthy relationship with food and exercise.

We are exactly half-way through our inaugural 60-Days of YOU! program and our 25 moms are SEEING and FEELING a huge difference in their bodies! The program is wildly successful! Most women in the program have lost an AVERAGE of 5 pounds; three moms have lost 10 pounds since September 16th! 10 pounds in 30 days! They are learning a new way to eat and exercise.

I feel way more energized today than I did 30 days ago! I love how my clothes are fitting better. I was really exhausted and stressed out last night and really wanted sugar but then I remembered how great/energized I’ve been feeling the last two weeks, and I refrained from giving in! Since the program has started, I’ve lost about 8 pounds!

It’s nice to focus on myself and my eating habits—since my second child was born, I’ve definitely put myself last on my priority list. I realize that I need to be more organized and thoughtful on what to eat during the day. I feel more in-tune with my body and emotions.”

Combined, these women have lost a total of 26 pounds in 22 days!

I love everything about the 60-Days of YOU! program: the connectivity with other moms, the structure, challenging but reasonable workouts. I really feel as a mom you make decisions for people all day. Following “rules” is so helpful. And the timeframe is perfect, close enough to set goals, but long enough to really change habits. It’s only been 30 days and I have MUCH more energy, am more aware of what I eat and do, am stronger and have lost 10 POUNDS!”

We want to help more moms find the best version of themselves, 60-Days of YOU! program returns January 2018. Let AMC help you be a slimmer, healthier, fitter version of yourself! You have all the right things to gain.

In September of 2015 I had the pleasure of meeting another new group of first-time moms in Active Moms Club’s Postnatal Recovery Class. Brienne was one of the women in class. I know her well now because she has been working out regularly with AMC ever since. What I didn’t know until recently is how she felt about exercise when she came to class because these days her enthusiasm to crush each and every one of her AMC workouts impresses me.

Brienne’s son will be two years old this month. During her pregnancy, she ran intervals on the treadmill five times a week through her first trimester, and switched to “power walking” when running became uncomfortable. She continued this workout routine until the very end; she was even on the treadmill the morning of the day she went into labor!

I sat down and asked Brienne to tell her inspiring story. She’s on a quest of self-discovery as she explores her strength through AMC’s training.

Brienne’s Fitness Journey

I was at the beginning of a long maternity leave, and looking for something to help push me to get out of the house with my newborn and meet other new moms. I had read about AMC’s postnatal recovery class while researching ways to get back in shape after pregnancy, and when a friend who recently had taken the class recommended it to me, I was sold! Then, I was so impressed with Cassandra’s calm yet motivating energy and specialized knowledge of the postnatal woman’s body (not to mention the results I was seeing in my own body) that I decided to stick with AMC after I “graduated” from the postnatal recovery class.

I’ve never been much of an athlete, but since college, I have stuck with a routine of fairly rigorous cardio workouts four to five times per week. Other than briefly attempting to tone my arms to compliment a strapless wedding gown, however, I did not do very much weight training or conditioning before joining AMC.”

After Brienne ‘graduated’ from the Postnatal Recovery class, she joined Fit & Fab Small Group Training sessions and participated in the 60-Day Fitness Challenge for the remainder of her maternity leave. Since returning to work full-time as an attorney, she continues to make her fitness a priority and participates in Fit & Fab training twice a week, as her schedule permits.

I feel like I am in the best shape of my life! My body is so much more toned than ever before. Although my current weight is about the same as my pre-pregnancy weight, my clothes fit completely differently now – but in a good way. In fact, when I prepared to return to work just a month after beginning Fit & Fab workouts, I found that I had to replace all of my pants from before pregnancy because I had dropped a size!

I appreciate that Cassandra learns and tracks each of her Fit & Fab clients’ individual strengths, weaknesses, and levels of conditioning, and then uses that knowledge to customize each workout in the small group setting so that everyone is challenged, yet no one feels intimidated or held back. I also love how much fun the workouts actually are. Although we always work to build on a core set of fundamental skills, Cassandra keeps things interesting by incorporating a lot of variety, and the workouts just fly by. Also, the camaraderie with the other moms is so enjoyable and rewarding. AMC is a real community of friendly, supportive, like-minded women who are eager to share parenting wisdom and advice, laugh together, commiserate, and cheer each other on.”

I’m extremely proud of how committed Brienne is to her workouts and eagerness to learn new skills during training sessions. She started Fit & Fab workouts with limited range of motion in her chest, shoulders and spine (like many moms) and used light weights to begin to build upper body stregnth. Her beginning kettlebell weight was 8kg kettlebell (16 pounds), just holding that overhead with a straight elbow proved to be a challenge for her. Slowly Brienne’s strength and mobility started to increase because of her consistency. Aptly her exercises have become more challenging along with executing them with a heavier load. She recently graduated to a 14kg (30 pounds!) kettlebell as her ‘light’ weight, and can press it overhead five times on both left and right side! She can swing 24kg and squat 20kg! More importantly, Brienne has SIGNIFICANTLY more mobility in her thoracic spine, hip capsule, and shoulder girdle thanks to the use of kettlebells.

I love looking in the mirror and seeing toned, defined arms and shoulders. I also love how strong and empowered I feel when I lift heavier and heavier weights, or succeed in executing a new or more difficult skill with good form. I am very proud that I am stronger, faster, and fitter now than I was before I became pregnant!

I never enjoyed exercising until I found AMC; it was always just a chore I felt that I had to endure if I wanted to enjoy eating without guilt. Now, I find myself looking forward to my workouts with Cassandra, and appreciating that fitness is a lifestyle and not just a way to make up for poor dietary habits. I think that any mom could enjoy and benefit from Cassandra’s program, and I look forward to continuing to progress in my own fitness journey!”

What are your personal fitness goals? Rather than wish for change, take action! No exercise experience is required to start our Fit & Fab strength training program. Let the power of small group training move you! Join us for a one-time Fit & Fab test-drive for just $25. Experience a session for yourself and you too will be on your way to feeling more confident about what your post-baby body can do.

BRAND NEW!

Based on demand, Fit & Fab now has a 30-Day Outdoor Summer Fitness Blast beginning July 15th! Join us for four weeks of fitness that will take the guesswork out of slimming down and getting fit. You could be AMC’s next success story!

“I have 15-60 minutes to workout, what should I do?”This is the golden question I hear most from clients and friends—they’re eager to make the most out of precious workout time. Any activity is better than no activity, but if you want to be more strategic and maximize your time, here are…

5 Tips to Make Your Workouts More Efficient & Effective

CHANGE IT UP—

If you do the same workout over and over again, your body is no longer challenged and it’s likely you’re not seeing or feeling results. Step out of your comfort zone and try a new fitness class, or cross-train, especially if you’re exclusively a runner. If cardio is your go-to workout, (spinning, walking, running, biking, swimming, et cetera) add weight training once a week or a yoga class. If you participate only in Barre classes using light weights (less than 10 pounds), add a heavy weight session, or a cardio class–like spinning. Change up your routine every couple of months and your body will respond. It needs new and different stimulus.

SPRINKLE IN INTENSITY—

A workout doesn’t have to be long to be effective. If you only have 10-30 minutes to get in a workout, amp up the intensity. A great way to do that is to incorporate intervals into a short workout. An interval involves a series of low- to high-intensity exercise interspersed with rest or relief periods.

For instance, if you typically jog 2 miles at the same pace (either on treadmill or outdoors), incorporate faster paced running that makes you uncomfortable for 30-60 seconds, then return to your normal pace or walk for 60 seconds. Repeat pattern of high / low intensity for the 2 miles.

You’ll begin to see results when you spend more time working outside of your comfort zone. As I say to clients, “get comfortable being uncomfortable”.

HAVE A PLAN—

Schedule your workout time in advance for the week just like you would schedule meetings or appointments. Once you have your workout schedule, make a workout plan. This is especially important if you do workouts on your own rather than participating in a fitness class where the instructor/trainer does the planning for you.

Here’s an example of what a plan would look like. I have workouts planned for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week. Tuesday and Thursday I will get up early to stretch for 10 minutes.

Monday: 45 minutes cardio on the stairclimber, incorporating 30-minutes of intervals.Wednesday: 60-minute kettlebell classFriday: 45 minute solo workout; 20 minutes of mobility exercises (yoga type stretches, and roll on foam roller) + 25 minutes of kettlebells focusing on lower body exercises (and I will have a specific set of exercises written out the night before for this weight session).

Planning will eliminate “what should I do?” syndrome when it’s time to workout…kinda like having a shopping list when you go to the grocery store.

ADD WEIGHTS—

Research shows that women can significantly benefit from lifting weights. It gives you the edge over belly fat, aches & pains, and stress! While it is true that you can’t spot reduce—your body is born with pre-conceived places it wants to store fat (hello baby bearing hips)—a University of Alabama study found that the women who lifted weights lost more intra-abdominal fat (deep belly fat) than those who just did cardio. This not only helps you lose your baby pooch, and fit better into your clothes, but it also lessens your risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some cancers! And guess what, lifting weights is empowering! Not sure where or how to start with weights, let AMC help guide you in our Small Group Training Program or personal training.

BE MINDFUL OF NUTRITION—

Even if you had the time to workout two hours a day, what goes into your mouth the other 22 hours will have a bigger effect on your fitness goals/weight loss. Be mindful about what you eat, and WHY you are eating. Fill your body up with fuel that moves it—lean cuts of meat, poultry, seafood, whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Read food labels; know what you are eating and how many servings are in a package. Eliminate mindless snacking and add more protein to your meals to fill you up. And the most useful tip that has helped me, slow down when you eat—take 15-20 minutes to eat a meal—and stop eating when you are 80% full.

Active Moms Club’s Post-Baby Body Express training program has helped more than 20 new moms increase their strength and fitness level in 2016. This new training package was designed for women who are tight on time and want to get their body back after baby.

I completed the Post-Baby Body Express Training with Cassandra. It was transformational! I am a pretty fit person, but giving birth took a lot out of me. After I got clearance to work out, I went for a short run and felt terrible in my abs/back. I immediately signed up for the Post-Baby Body Express so that I could get my body back in shape the right way. Cassandra quickly helped me to build strength in my core, back, and glutes and in just a few weeks. I’m back to running as if I never had a baby (well almost!). I highly recommend the program for anyone who wants one-on-one attention and quick results.”

Here’s how our tailored program works:

Over the course of three training sessions and a series of customized at-home workouts, moms learn the corrective exercises to address their post baby body, specifically, whether it be an abdominal wall separation (diastasis recti), a cesarean section, other physical issues that occurred during pregnancy and delivery, or simply the desire to achieve and maintain a healthy/stronger level of fitness.

Who is Post-Baby Express for?

Brand new moms or moms who are ready to get back into an exercise routine that may not quite be sure of where, or how to start – and want to see speedy results.

What Are The Benefits? What We Do:

An individualized training program designed to get you back on the road to being fit post-baby in a shorter timeframe. Benefits include: one-on-one personal training sessions with Coach Cassandra, customized at-home workouts built around your specific needs, and specific corrective exercises, all built around your schedule.

When and how often is Post-Baby Body training:

AMC’s Post-Baby Body Express training consists of three, one-hour personal training sessions with Coach Cassandra (your baby can come along too if you choose a daytime session time). Ideally training sessions are conveniently scheduled once every 7-14 days. In between sessions, client will be given workout sheets to practice prescribed exercises at home.

Yes, in just three, one-hour training sessions you’ll feel stronger and more confident about what your body can do and ready to take on life – while being fit – post-baby!

Are you ready to get your body back after baby? To get started, go to our registration website or contact Coach Cassandra at Cassandra@ActiveMomsClub.com